Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning
Thank you to all the parents, carers and students that attended the Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences on Monday April 29th. We hope that you found these meetings very useful, and students have been able to identify areas where they can make future improvements and set learning goals for Term 2.
While many teachers would have provided subject specific strategies, there is undeniably a link between the ability to adopt regular study habits and demonstrating a strong understanding of subject matter.
At junior school students often struggle with managing their workload and meeting submission dates when they have the demands of different subjects to address. The daily utilisation of the school diary is a practice that junior students should work to adopt. We encourage the students to take a diary with them to all lessons and to note the topic that is being learnt plus noting whether any work is due.
The diary should be taken home with the students at the end of the day and checked to remind students of the work they should be completing. An allocated space to place the diary and to leave it open for students and their families to look at review the content will facilitate discussions at home about managing the work that is to be completed by the student. Such behaviours work to enhance the student’s ability to manage their work and meet submission dates.
At senior school the juggle for completing the work required for different subjects becomes more demanding. Ideally students have developed their own method for recording their work requirements. At senior school students should really be looking to develop a study routine that allows them to complete their course work during the week but also to allocate a time to review learning.
The creation of a calendar that includes both school and social commitments assists with creating positive study habits for VCE and beyond.
We hope this advice provides parents with some guidelines for supporting to develop their child as lifelong learners.
Study Group
A reminder that we changed the day/time for Study Group during Term 2. This term ALL students are welcome to attend this group and work with our tutors on a Tuesday and Thursday after school.
Come to Study Group
When:Tuesday and Thursdays 3.15 - 4.15pm
Where: Room S6 and S7 (Senior Study Building)
Why: To work with university tutors
Who: All students: Bring your work, laptop and questions!
Insight Creative Writing Competition
The 2024 Insight Creative Writing Competition is open to secondary school students around Australia as they aim to ignite a passion for creative writing and inspire the voices of the future. Entering the competition is free and all entrants will have the chance to share in over $3000 worth of cash prizes!
All shortlisted entries will also be judged by acclaimed Australian authors. Past judges have included Alice Pung, Arnold Zable, Cath Moore, Michael Pryor, Will Kostakis and Jack Henseleit.
If you’re a budding writer you should submit your work.
Competition Key Dates
- Entries open: 18 March 2024
- Entries close: 1 September 2024
- Longlist announcement: 18 October 2024
- Shortlist announcement: 1 November 2024
- Awards Ceremony: TBA
For information visit https://www.insightpublications.com.au/2024-insight-creative-writing-competition/
Virtual Reality Lab
At the end of last term, Campbell from Lamination came and took all Year 7 students through a Google Earth experience in our state-of-the-art Virtual Reality Lab. This was a first for some of our students and they were thoroughly impressed by this technology. We are incredibly lucky to be the only government school in Melbourne to have this type of facility and we hope that over the course of the next two terms, all students will have had the opportunity to learn through virtual reality.
Humanities News
On Tuesday 16th, the Year 11 and 12 Economics classes were taken to the Queen Victoria Market, where they were able to experience a market in action. This allowed the students to apply concepts learnt in class, such as market structure and consumer behaviour, into a real-world scenario. Arriving to the city by train, students were able to freely explore the market. Many students took advantage of the opportunity to purchase an item. This would range from books, scarves, and delicious food. Additionally, they also had the opportunity to interview stall owners on their experiences in operating at the QVM, providing a unique look into the mindset of business owners. Overall, the excursion supplied students with an engaging and educational experience that allowed them to practically apply concepts previously learnt in class.
Written by Mahnoor Nabeel (Year 11)
Meanwhile, in Year 7 Humanities …
In Term 1, as part of the Civics and Citizenship unit, our students wrote letters to different stakeholders about issues concerning our local community. The Honourable Gabrielle Williams (State MP for Dandenong) sent replies to many of our students. Please see two of her responses to Ileesha Adhikari and Sam Jang from 7C below.
Select Entry Accelerated Program – 7C’s Cyber Escape Room experience!
On Thursday 16th May, our Year 7 SEAL class was invited to attend Quantum Victoria and participate in Cyber Security Scenario-based challenges, building content knowledge and problem solving skills, during an educational escape room experience.
For this experience, students took on the role of Cyber Security Experts as they worked in teams to decipher passwords, combat phishing and find solutions to restore compromised security systems. There were three different scenarios and students learnt how to avoid cybercriminals.
This program is part of the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series and is funded by the Department of Education. Year 8 SEAL students will be participating in this same experience at the end of this term, while Year 9 SEAL students are participating in a different type of experience next week.
A big thank you to our tutor’s, Sandrup Sasikumar and Eurisha Chhin, for helping supervise the Year 7 excursion.
Year 12 Business Management Excursion
On Wednesday 15th May the Year 12 Business Management visited the Yakult factory in Dandenong. The students were taken on a behind-the-scenes tour, where they observed the manufacturing process of Yakult to support their learning about operations management. During the tour, the students gained insights into the tank-cleaning procedures, witnessed quality control testing for the Yakult drink and the waste minimisation strategies Yakult adopts. The visit to Yakult was most rewarding as students were able to think critically about what they had learned in the classroom and how it is applied in the real world.
On Wednesday the Year 12 Business Management students visited the Yakult factory. During the excursion we got to witness the process of Yakult being made and we learnt about the business’s success through their strategies and technological implementations. We also learnt about how Yakult acts in a socially responsible manner and got to take some photos with their massive Yakult bottles. To top it off, we each got a complimentary regular Yakult or Yakult light. We all had a lot of fun and gained valuable knowledge and insight on a successful business. - Ivana Despina 12C
We had an Excursion to Yakult's factory in Australia on the 15th of May. After a short-lived bus ride over— and a ludicrous number of stairs— our tour guide took us to a bridged area over the factory, the machines, and the workers. The hallways were filled with fun facts, items under glass cases, and the occasional giant Yakult bottle. Fact: Watching the bottles go across the conveyors was oddly satisfying. Obviously, this was an educational excursion: so we were filled in on business concepts and how they related to the processes of Yakult. From the laboratories and giant kegs that cultured the Lactobacillus casei shirota strain, to the robots packaging groups of custom-made bottles into pellets; we were allowed to observe every step of the Yakult-making process. Of course, the highlight of the excursion was trying some Yakult drinks ourselves. Our class had very... mixed feelings about it, but nevertheless, I can say that all of us had a good time while we were there. - Matthew Dinh 11A
Introducing our next new Teacher for 2024
Mr Charlee Chen
Hello Lyndale teachers and students. I am Charlee Chen, a fresh graduate teacher in his first teaching year. I am a senior mathematics teacher teaching Year 9 Maths, Year 10 Maths and Year 11 General Mathematics. I am quite easy-going and enjoy meeting new people, so please feel free to come and have a chat when you see me around! For students, we can talk about how to give you more homework, and for teachers, we can talk about how to give students more homework :)